another Selective Service question and financial aid

[Autumnchik 6]

So, I posted a while back asking for feedback and got some good advice re: Selective Service. My husband has just begun college. When he applied for financial aid, the financial aid department told him his application was waiting on him getting a letter from Selective Service explaining why he did not register (because he didn't enter the country until he was 43). Hubby has applied for that letter and followed up with SS several times, to be told they were still working on it. He actually just got off the phone with them and they told him they were still working on requests submitted in July. Hubby's financial aid is pending this letter. Hubby is going to call his school and see if there is anything else he can do to expedite the financial aid. Just wondering if anyone had any other helpful suggestions. Thanks

[Autumnchik 6]

bump .... anyone??

[Pinay Wife 47]

While waiting for a response from the SS, maybe printing the link below and supporting it with evidence that your husband was not in the United States when he was between 18-26 would help in explaining his situation with the Financial Aid Officer?

http://www.sss.gov/FSmen.htm

MEN CANNOT REGISTER AFTER REACHING AGE 26

According to law, a man must register with Selective Service within 30 days of his 18th birthday. Selective Service will accept late registrations but not after a man has reached age 26. Some men may have failed to register during the time they were eligible to do so and may now find they are ineligible for certain benefits.

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU DID NOT REGISTER AND ARE NOW 26 OR OLDER?

If you have passed your 26th birthday and are now being denied eligibility for Federal student financial aid, Federal job training, or Federal employment, or are having difficulty obtaining U.S. citizenship because you failed to register, you have the the following recourse available to you: Explain to the official handling your case (for example, a student financial aid officer) the reasons for your failure to register with Selective Service. A non-registrant may not be denied any benefit if he can "show by a preponderance of evidence" that his failure to register was not knowing and willful. Offer as much evidence supporting your case, and as much detail, as possible.

HOW TO GET AN OFFICIAL SELECTIVE SERVICE RESPONSE SAYING YOU WERE OR WERE NOT REQUIRED TO REGISTER

If you did not register with Selective Service, and are now a man over age 25, you may be ineligible for certain Federal or state programs and benefits, including U.S. citizenship. Some agencies may ask you to provide an official response from the Selective Service indicating if you were or were not required to register. To receive such a letter from the Selective Service System, please call 1-847-688-6888. Your call will be answered by an automated voice processing system. Please refrain from pressing any numbers, and an operator will soon come on the line to assist you. You may also send a written request to the Selective Service System at P.O. Box 94638, Palatine, IL 60094-4638. Ask for a "status information" letter. You will have to describe, in detail, the circumstances you believe prevented you from registering and provide copies of documents showing any periods when you were hospitalized, institutionalized, or incarcerated occurring between your 18th and 26th birthdays. If you are a non-citizen, you may be required to provide documents that show when you entered the United States. Please include your name, Social Security Number, date of birth, and return address.

For your convenience, you can download the Request for Status Information Letter form, which includes the directions for completing this form. This document is in a PDF format.

FINAL DECISION

The benefit agency official handling your case, not the Selective Service, will determine whether you have shown that your failure to register was not a knowing and willful failure to register. The final decision regarding your eligibility for the benefit that you seek will be made by the agency granting the benefit (for example, for student financial aid, this would be the school's financial aid officer). In some agencies, an appeals process is available.

Men born from March 29, 1957 to December 31, 1959 were never required to register because the registration program was not in operation at the time they turned 18. The requirement to register was reinstated in 1980 and applies to all men born on or after January 1, 1960.

[almaty 19]

sister autumn..tell him to push on the school..allot od schoold counselors..etc are noted for their lazy attitude when there is a bit of work on a student's case

[Autumnchik 6]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

[NickD 202]

Financial aid never asked my boys about proof for registering for with selective service, and wouldn't know how they could provide proof anyway, just had to sign and received that stupid postcard. Call it stupid, because it said we know who you are, where you were born, when you were born, where we can get you, etc., but if you do not sign and return this post card in 30 days, we will fine you $10,000.00.

Seems like you always run into some new kind of ####### nowadays.

Saw a black outline map of Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan as like a cartoon in Friday's newspaper, with the first three, mistakes with negative outcomes, what makes them think Afghanistan will be any different?

[KarenCee 3]

Autumn...my husband ran into this same problem. He had to call Selective Service and have them send a letter stating that he did not have to register. He took that letter to Financial Aid and he got what he needed for school. It didn't take long to get the letter, the SS office was dumbfounded that he needed it, but hey...kinda like USCIS...ya do what ya gotta do.

Somewhere in his immigration docs it said he didn't have to register...but Financial Aid wouldn't accept that.

[Autumnchik 6]

Okay, the latest update: my husband went to the school financial aid office, armed with the info. that Pinay wife linked, hubby brought his green card, copy of his K-1 visa showing when he entered this country. The school STILL insisted he needs a letter from Selective Service. Hubby has been calling the Selective Service every few days since then to check on status. He was just told today that they are STILL working on requests from July and are so backlogged, it likely will take 10 weeks to finish. I don't know what else to do. We REALLY need the financial aid as soon as possible.